The End of the Year

 Week 52 and still a bit to go...

We had the last day of work on Christmas Eve.

Janny and I had both woken up feeling a little "snotty". So, with our heightened awareness, we both arranged for Covid testing and kept well away from the clients. Ankie held the fort.... 

Because of our work in the Care industry, we were given red tubes, instead of the normal blue, which meant that we would get the results within 24 hours instead of 48. We had to show our Business Registration Certificate as well as the customary ID.

About 12 hours later we got text messages to log on to the official testing site for our results - both negative. 

All-in-all, a bit of a pain in the backside, but such is everyone's experience of 2020! We're not finding it hard to "do the right thing", but, surprisingly (to me, at least) there are are lots of people not complying with the recommendations.

Janny read somewhere that there are an estimated 100,000 people every day not wearing face masks on public transport - where it is more a rule than a recommendation.

Oh well....

Janny and I started the week with a walk across the heath...

(Always fairly busy on a Sunday, but we could let Boeke loose here and there).

Zoey used to love swimming in this pool - but Boeke is happy just to have a drink.

Ben came home on Sunday evening, armed with ideas about all the special food we could eat...

On Monday it was Janny's Mum's 88th Birthday!!

Her 6 kids arranged that they would come at different times during the day - starting with breakfast.

Because of the Covid lockdown rules, they didn't have any close contact with Rennie...

...they sat at a table inside the tent, one family at a time, with Rennie on the other side of a large sliding door.

Ben had also been tested, so we three felt safe enough to eat (dessert) inside at the end of her very long day.

Ben  helped me by printing the menus for 2 days of Christmas, in the big kitchen out the back - where we prepared it all. (They don't have a name for Boxing Day, so it is simply First Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day).

Now, I can't remember if I have ever made a steamed pudding, since I was a kid helping Mum, but this BBC recipe worked brilliantly! 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/schooldays-treacle-sponge

But, I have added Golden Syrup to the list of things I can't find over here... so this one was made with Maple Syrup. ( I had a podcast this week about the history of sugar - most of Europe makes sugar from sugar beets which have 30% more sugar than an equivalent weight of sugar cane - but no Golden Syrup!!).

 

Little wonder that Boeke and I were worn out at the end of it! 

One of Ben's gifts to us was a "Crime Investigation" kit. 2 of them, in fact. Janny and Ben solved the first one after about 4 hours and then Janny made a copy of it for the rest of the family to do as part of the Covid Lockdown Family Challenges.

I helped with the 2nd one, which took about 6 hours! It includes internet searches, Facebook, Whatsapp and a helpful online Detective to give answers or arrange interrogation of "witnesses". All very creative and well organised.

Sunday Morning now - horrible weather; wet cold and windy (Force 9 according to the Weather Bureau).

So it's boots, gloves, beanie and coat for Boeke's walks. The cats don't want to go out! Ben is on his way back to Amsterdam - I think I'll light the fire and snuggle in...

(I had been listening to the cricket for half the night...true!)